The Ultimate Fighting Championship made its second trip to the Rogers Arena in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada tonight for UFC 131: “Dos Santos vs Carwin.” The event was headlined by a heavyweight bout between top contenders Junior “Cigano” dos Santos and Shane Carwin.
Also on the card, former UFC lightweight title challenger Kenny “Ken-Flo” Florian made his featherweight debut against Diego “The Gun” Nunes, and John Olav “The Viking” Einemo faced Dave “Pee-Wee” Herman in both fighters’ UFC debuts. MMARising.com has live play-by-play for the card.
Junior “Cigano” dos Santos vs Shane Carwin
Round 1:
Carwin shot in for a takedown 40 seconds into the fight and backed dos Santos up to the cage. Dos Santos landed a knee and circled away. Carwin connected with a short right hand and dos Santos answered with one of his own. Dos Santos missed with an uppercut and Carwin landed a counter right. A looping overhand right partially landed for dos Santos and he began to jab. Dos Santos landed a right cross and scrambled back to his feet after a brief takedown from Carwin.
Dos Santos began to target the body with punches and avoided a counter left hook. More jabs landed for dos Santos and he scored with a looping right. Right hands landed for both and dos Santos dropped Carwin with punches in close. He pounced with more strikes and briefly looked for a rear-naked choke. A bloodied Carwin defended as dos Santos teed off with huge punches. He backed away and allowed Carwin to stand before the bell. Carwin’s face was a mess. 10-9 dos Santos.
Round 2:
Dos Santos landed a pair of right hooks in the second round and Carwin replied with one in return. Dos Santos threw a leg kick and jabbed, then scored with a lead left. He ducked under a lunging left hook from Carwin and landed another leg kick. Carwin threw a leg kick in reply and an exchange of kicks followed. Dos Santos connected with two right crosses and avoided one from Carwin.
Dos Santos jabbed again, but Carwin rushed forward aggressively and landed a powerful left hook. He followed with a right hook and dos Santos returned to his jab. Carwin countered a left hook with a leg kick, but dos Santos’s jab continued to land cleanly. Dos Santos landed a big head kick, but Carwin was unfazed. Two lead left hooks stopped Carwin from moving forward and dos Santos landed a combination to the head and body late in the round. 10-9 dos Santos.
Round 3:
Dos Santos landed a left hook to open the final round, but Carwin took him down against the cage. Dos Santos battled back to his feet and landed a knee to the body, then backed away. He backed Carwin up with a quick lead left and Carwin came up short with a pair of lunging counterpunches. Dos Santos jabbed to the head and body and Carwin managed to land a grazing left hook as he moved forward. A short left hook stunned Carwin briefly and dos Santos put the pressure on with more punches.
A jab and a right cross backed Carwin up, but Carwin responded with a solid right hand of his own. Jabs and straight punches continued to batter Carwin’s face and time was called to check his cuts. The fight resumed with one minute remaining and dos Santos took Carwin down. He struck from the top, but Carwin sprung right back up to his feet. Dos Santos landed a lead left hook and a one-two and slammed Carwin back down to the mat again. 10-9 dos Santos.
Winner: Junior dos Santos by Unanimous Decision (30-26, 30-27, 30-27) after three rounds. He improves to 13-1-0.
Kenny “Ken-Flo” Florian vs Diego “The Gun” Nunes
Round 1:
Florian opened the fight with two head kicks that just missed and Nunes came up short with a spinning backfist. He threw a head kick of his own and Florian blocked it. Florian ducked under a right hook and sidestepped a spinning back kick. He clinched and landed a knee, then tripped Nunes against the cage. Nunes grabbed the fence and was warned, but managed to get back to his feet and reversed the clinch.
Nunes took Florian down, but Florian landed elbows and used the cage to work back to his feet. Nunes attempted a standing guillotine choke as Florian looked for a takedown. Nunes landed a body kick and the fighters exchanged kicks to the leg. Nunes connected with a spinning backfist and missed with a spinning back kick. Florian took Nunes down, but Nunes quickly scrambled up. He landed a grazing spinning back elbow and dropped Florian with a big left hook seconds before the bell. 10-9 Nunes.
Round 2:
The fighters traded strikes in round two and Florian clinched for a takedown. He picked Nunes’s leg up and tried to dump him on the mat, but Nunes escaped. Florian nearly got Nunes down, but Nunes stood and took Florian down. Florian landed his trademark elbows from the bottom and worked for a triangle choke. Nunes stood up, then dove back in with a right hook.
Back on the feet, Nunes landed a body kick and followed with two more soon after. Florian landed a kick of his own and took Nunes down near the cage. He landed short strikes from the top and tried to move to mount. Nunes defended well and got back to full guard. Florian postured up and landed punches late in the round. 10-9 Florian.
Round 3:
Florian landed high kicks in round three as Nunes appeared to be fatigued. Florian took him down and landed short hammerfist strikes. Nunes defended and tried to kick Florian off with upkicks, but Florian used the opportunity to move to side control. Nunes scrambled up and clinched against the cage.
Nunes landed a body kick and a spinning back kick, then followed with a left hook. He landed a head kick and attempted a spinning back elbow as Florian threw a knee and a one-two. Florian jabbed and landed a solid knee. He landed another knee, but Nunes rocked him with a counter right hook just before the bell sounded. 10-9 Florian.
Winner: Kenny Florian by Unanimous Decision (30-27, 29-28, 29-28) after three rounds. He improves to 14-5-0.
Mark “The Filipino Wrecking Machine” Munoz vs Demian Maia
Round 1:
Munoz landed a body kick early on, but was bizarrely rocked by a short left hook counter. He stumbled backwards and Maia followed with more punches. Munoz appeared to recover, but Maia tagged him with a hard right hand. Maia clinched and landed knees to the body until the fighters were separated. Maia landed two left crosses and a head kick that backed Munoz up.
Maia remained aggressive with strikes and backed Munoz up again with a flurry. Munoz reversed a clinch and backed away. Maia connected with a looping two-punch combo and Munoz answered with a right. More punches landed for Maia and he countered a head kick with a big right hand. Munoz landed a short left hook that stopped Maia’s forward momentum, but Maia landed a brief flurry late in the round. 10-9 Maia.
Round 2:
Munoz landed a big left hook in the second round and Maia backtracked. Maia tried for a takedown, but Munoz threw heavy punches to the body and leg to defend. A scramble ensued on the ground and the fighters stood. Munoz landed another hard punch and Maia tried again for a takedown. Munoz locked on a Brabo Choke, but let it go and had to scramble to prevent Maia from securing back control.
Again, Maia tried to take the fight to the mat and Munoz punished him with punches to the body. Maia wound up pulling guard and tried to use butterfly guard to sweep. He worked back to his feet and used a guillotine choke to try to fend off a Munoz takedown. Maia wound up on the bottom with Munoz in his half-guard. Munoz threw punches to the body and prevented Maia from standing up. 10-9 Munoz.
Round 3:
Munoz opened round three with two kicks to the upper body and Maia answered with a right hook. Munoz scored a brief takedown, but Maia stood and connected with a short right hook. Maia reversed a takedown and tried to transition to back control. Maia secured a modified back crucifix and neck crank, but Munoz spun out and the fighters stood. Maia landed a knee to the body and a battle for position in the clinch ensued.
Both fighters threw short uppercuts and Munoz tried for a takedown. The fighters were separated and Maia landed a left cross and a head kick. Munoz targeted the body and Maia responded with a knee. Munoz tossed him to the mat, but Maia upkicked and stood up. An exchange of body kicks ended with body fighters landing punches. Maia shot for a takedown, but Munoz stuffed it. Close round. 10-9 Maia.
Winner: Mark Munoz by Unanimous Decision (30-27, 29-28, 29-28) after three rounds. He improves to 11-2-0.
Dave “Pee-Wee” Herman vs John Olav “The Viking” Einemo
Round 1:
Herman landed a nice leg kick early on, but Einemo clinched and backed him up to the cage. Einemo attempted a throw, but Herman countered with knees. Einemo landed a right hook and backed away. He pushed forward with more right hands and clinched, but Herman circled out. Herman missed with a knee and was hit by a counter one-two combo. Three leg kicks scored for Einemo and Herman answered with a knee. Herman threw more kicks and a knee as Einemo looked to land punches.
Einemo caught a kick and took Herman down, then effortlessly passed to side control. Herman scrambled and pushed off of the cage, then got back to his feet. A right hook and a one-two landed for Einemo and he countered a knee with a right hook. Two knees and another right hook followed for Einemo in close. Einemo landed an uppercut and Herman broke out of a clinch with a knee. Einemo scored a takedown right before the bell. 10-9 Einemo.
Round 2:
The fighters traded punches in the second round and Einemo landed a big right hand. Herman fired back with punches of his own, but Einemo kept the pressure on. Herman threw a head kick, but Einemo hurt him with a knee. He rushed Herman back to the cage and flurried with punches as Herman’s mouthpiece fell out. Einemo fell while throwing a punch and Herman took advantage with punches.
Time was called to replace Herman’s mouthpiece. Einemo rocked Herman with a knee and standing elbows, but Herman fought back with a knee of his own and two punches that dropped Einemo. Herman swarmed with punches, but Einemo held on. Back on the feet, both fighters hurt the other with vicious knees and uppercuts. Herman finally dropped Einemo with a knee and finished him off with punches on the ground. Insane fight.
Winner: Dave Herman by TKO (Knee & Punches) at 3:19 of round two. He improves to 21-2-0.
Donald “Cowboy” Cerrone vs Vagner Rocha
Round 1:
Cerrone opened the fight with a pair of leg kicks, but the second one struck Rocha in the groin and time was briefly called. Upon resume, Cerrone landed another leg kick and a hard knee to the body. Leg kicks were exchanged and Rocha took Cerrone down. Cerrone countered with an omoplata attempt and scrambled to his feet, but not before Rocha landed a series of hammerfists. Rocha tried for another takedown, but Cerrone escaped.
Cerrone landed a pair of leg kicks and avoided a takedown, but Rocha connected with a nice right hook. Cerrone continued to score with leg kicks and easily sprawled out of a takedown. A left hook, leg kick combo landed for Cerrone and he once again prevented Rocha from taking him down. Cerrone tripped Rocha with a hard leg kick and Rocha got back to his feet. Cerrone landed more leg kicks and a one-two, but Rocha connected with two punches of his own. 10-9 Cerrone.
Round 2:
Cerrone resumed his assault with leg kicks in round two, but Rocha closed the distance and landed punches and a knee in close. Cerrone caught a second knee and kicked at Rocha’s leg. Rocha briefly dragged Cerrone to the mat, but Cerrone stood against the cage and defended Rocha’s attempts to take him back down. The fighters separated and Rocha landed an overhand right.
Cerrone continued to score at will with leg kicks and he avoided a takedown attempt. Rocha rushed in and tried to pull guard, but Cerrone tagged him with a jab. Rocha stood and Cerrone landed a front kick to the body. Cerrone landed leg kick after leg kick until Rocha flopped to his back after a failed takedown attempt. Rocha tried to pull guard, but Cerrone stayed up and landed more kicks in the final seconds. 10-9 Cerrone.
Round 3:
Cerrone landed a nice front kick to the body to open up the action in the final round and Rocha missed with a counter flurry of punches. Cerrone threw more leg kicks and stuffed a takedown. Rocha switched stances and Cerrone kicked at his right leg. Rocha landed a flying knee to the body, but Cerrone continued to pick him apart with kicks. Cerrone caught a kick and tripped Rocha with a kick to the leg.
Rocha stood and was hurt by a hard leg kick. He recovered, but Cerrone landed two more kicks and avoided a right hook. Cerrone stuffed a takedown and kicked at Rocha’s leg. A solid one-two landed for Cerrone, but Rocha stayed on his feet and fired back with wild punches. Rocha landed a left hook, but Cerrone hurt him with counterpunches and kicks. Rocha fell and the round ended. 10-9 Cerrone.
Winner: Donald Cerrone by Unanimous Decision (30-26, 30-27, 30-27) after three rounds. He improves to 15-3-0, 1 NC.
(Undercard results and play-by-play on Page Two.)